Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
In all fairness, this is a film I’ve had to warm up to over the years. Not seen for the first time until a few years ago, this stop-motion musical fantasy from creator Tim Burton (who came up with the story) and director Henry Selick (whose work since includes “Monkeybone” and the animation in “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou”) was easy to admire technically and musically, but the story seemed relatively mild compared to Burton’s best work. But greatness sometimes reveals itself over time, and such was the case with “Nightmare,” which I’ve now seen twice in its’ stunning digital 3-D transfer, which breathes new life and visual depth to the film without calling attention to itself. If this is what we can expect from the slate of digital 3-D animated films to come, I can’t wait to see what a studio like Pixar will be able to bring to the process…
The subtlety of technique in the 3-D process is important, allowing the story to come to life anew as well as the visuals. Burton’s story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, and his tiring of the same routine, his discovering of the pleasures of Christmas Town and his attempts to bring that joy to Halloween Town, fits right in with the themes of many of his best films (namely, “Ed Wood,” “Edward Scissorhands,” even his later stop-motion film “Corpse Bride”), with Jack bringing to mind Edward Scissorhands, also a misfit who stood apart from the conventions of his society, not to mention Ed Wood, an idealist whose vision of what he’s bringing to people is skewered from how the reality turns out. Both ideas are important to “Nightmare’s” success as a fantasy for children, allowing Jack to be a character that one can identify with while the citizens of Halloween Town take a wrong-headed approach to the Christmas, creating hats out of rats and bats, a toy duck with bullet holes in it, not to mention a decapitated head in a box, one of the most iconic images of the film. True, Jack endorses this approach, but because he misunderstands that what he sees as joy others will only find terror. Again, he’s a misfit in a world that can only see the exterior, not ultimately where his heart lies. But because we see his excitement for what Christmas means, we identify with him, and even sympathize when his plans seem to doom him.
I mentioned “Corpse Bride” earlier in the films in which “Nightmare” share ideas and themes with. Apart from their artistic techniques, the films also share a sense of sweet romance between characters who are fundamentally hopeless romantics. In “Corpse Bride,” it was the love story between the befuddled groom Victor and the tragic heroine, the deceased Emily; in “Nightmare,” it’s the unrequited love Sally- the Frankenstein-esque creation of the curmudgeonly Dr. Finklestein (voiced beautifully in both speaking and singing role by “Best in Show’s” Catherine O’Hara)- feels for Jack (whose speaking voice is by “The Princess Bride’s” Chris Sarandon, but whose singing voice is composer Danny Elfman…more on him later). I say unrequited only because Jack is so consumed with his own unhappiness with the way of things at first that Sally is an afterthought, though it’s clear from the outset how she feels for him. To see the connection between the two develop over the course of the film’s 70-plus minutes is one of its’ most wonderful pleasures as Sally appreciates the thought behind Jack’s plan, but also sees the danger in it. Admittedly, it’s not one of the most intricate love stories I’ve seen- and “Corpse Bride” is still the best one Burton’s told onscreen- but by the time we come to its’ peak as Jack and Sally sing in the “Reprise” at the end, we’re as fully engaged in it as the lovers are, making one wish the film wasn’t ending.
It’s nearly impossible to think of anything else one might say of Danny Elfman and his collaborations with Burton at this point, except that this is unquestionably his best. As my friend Ron and I were discussing after seeing “Nightmare” again, Elfman’s score in the film is one with that quintessentially Elfman-esque sound one doesn’t really much from his work anymore, even for Burton (take a listen to his music for “Big Fish”- his best pure score for Burton apart from “Edward Scissorhands”- to get an idea of the evolution). It’s not to say that Elfman’s dropped off; if anything, his music has gotten richer and more mature over the years, and even if that distinct sound of his is missing, his innovative musical choices make his work as obviously his as ever. And just as obviously over the years, “Nightmare” (nominated only for a visual effects Oscar sadly) is his masterwork. Everything that garnered his work much acclaim prior to “Nightmare” is in full-bloom here, but one can also sense the beginnings of that later maturity in the way he beautifully integrates the songs into the orchestral score. And what iconic songs they are- “This is Halloween,” “What’s This?,” “Town Meeting Song,” “Making Christmas,” and “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” among others. To call “Nightmare Before Christmas” one of the best movie musicals of all-time might not be out of the question. To call Elfman one of the best film composers of all-time should be a given at this time…now why hasn’t he won an Oscar yet?
Something continues to puzzle me about the film. Which holiday is this film best suited for? It’s not only the central thrust of the film’s story, but also a worthy discussion for the film itself. Obviously, Burton and Selick’s macabre vision of Halloween Town and their version of Christmas suits it best for October and its’ time of ghouls and creepy crawlies, but the longing and beguiling tenderness at its’ heart makes it a quintessential Christmas fable. True, Jack isn’t your average Christmas movie hero along the lines of “It’s a Wonderful Life’s” George Bailey, but his lamenting for something beyond the simple pleasures of scaring people and his child-like excitement about the possibilities Christmas holds makes one bring to mind the likes of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and other Holiday classics. Whenever you watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” though, the one thing that is certain is that you’re watching a bona fide classic.
